Your article contained the media's attempt to marginalize Hubbard with the "science fiction" writer label. In fact, good science fiction requires a science background because it must contain technological developments that have not yet come into existence. More to the point, Hubbard wrote in many fields. As a member of the prestigious Explorer's Club (NYC) his 1930 articles on navigation in the Alaskan territories were used by the US Navy for decades. He twice conducted expeditions carrying the Explorer's Club Flag (NYC). At 23, Hubbard conducted the first mineralogical survey of Puerto Rico. As one of the first 400 licensed pilots in America, Hubbard wrote articles on piloting. Hubbard's research from 1930's to 1950 was very expensive. He traveled the world and studied more than a dozen different cultures to identify the common denominator of Man for the purpose of having a foundation upon which to develop his technologies. His writings specific to Dianetics and Scientology total more than 5,000 publications and 3,274 public lectures detailing every step of his R&D. Hubbard's breakthroughs in biochemistry (how life is affected by chemicals) led to the development of the Hubbard Detox Program. One example of its use is in NYC. More than 550 fireman have successfully completed the Hubbard Detox program -- no cost to them. Many were experiencing extreme debilitating effects caused by toxins absorbed during the cleanup of the World Trade Center. See: http://www.nydetox.org/the_project.htm For details (in laymen terms) re his program, see: "Answer to Drugs" posted at: www.scientologyhandbook.org/SH7.HTM I am not employed by any Scientology organization. I have been a Scientologist for nearly 40 years.

If you would simply put the word Narconon into google you will find plenty of documented evidence that Narconon is a drug treatment center for the Church of Scientology. Its purpose is to get people off drugs and on to Scientology. I am the former Executive Director of Narconon Connecticut and I can attest that their success rate is false and that they are in fact run by the C of S. I was a member of Scientology for 27 years worked for their infamous Guardian's Office and then their Office of Special Affairs, and I personally managed and controlled the Narconon programs in New England while a staff member in the employ of Scientology. Don't let this group kid you. They are part of a cult and their agenda is to get people off drugs and onto Scientology. Be warned. Read more about Narconon on the net. Patty Pieniadz

Mr. James Lightfield's answer is an attempt to depict Hubbard as a competent scientist. Actually, Hubbard flunked George Washington University, and later misrepresented himself regularly as "doctor", "civil engineer" and a "nuclear physicist": he was none of them. Hubbard even had to *buy* his "Doctorate of Philosophy" from a "degree mill." If Hubbard was a competent scientist, as Mr. Lightfield suggests, one wonder why he felt the need to lie about his background. (Note that as recently as 2005, the Church of Scientology was distributing literature still invoking these lies about Hubbard.) I certainly agree with Mr. Lightfield that Hubbard was prolific, but "prolific" does not equate "rigorous." I quite disagree that Hubbard's writings deserve the "R&D" qualifier: there is nothing that can be called sound scientific research in Hubbard writings. His "purification rundown" -- also know as "detox" or "sauna program" -- has no scientific basis, and the claims made for this program by Narconon representatives have rejected by competent scientists, some have even warned of its danger especially considering it is associated with the intake of extremely high dosage of niacin. Mr. Lightfield says that NYC firemen have been using Hubbard "detox" treatment following 9/11. Problem is that Mr. Lightfield somehow *forgot* to mention important factual information regarding this "detox" program: New York city's largest firefighters union withdrew its support of the program in 2003. There again, the "detox" program was misrepresented as being scientifically sound to the union, which it is *not*, a misrepresentation that Mr. Lightfield perpetuate with his answer the the present article. Here are a few links supporting my answer: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/valid.htm http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/sources/media/dn131203.htm http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,238238,00.html#2

This center sounds great as long as it is "voluntary." As scientology is considered by it's followers to be their "religion" it would be wrong for a drug offender to be ordered by a court authority to take part in this type of rehab. Anything that attempts to impose a certian belief system on someone must be voluntary and never state mandated in any form for any reason. If for instance Catholic is forced to undergo their indoctrination as part of a court ordered condition it sets up all involved for serious legal problems. Which I would support since it sounds like these people are unwilling to do a rehabilitation without the belief conditioning of their religion. It's certainly something to consider.

What James doesn't tell everyone is how unsafe this drug program is. Hubbard wrote all this 40 years or more ago. Call the AMA or the APA and ask them. Or take the info to your family doctor and ask if this is safe or not. No insurance will pay for this very unsafe and unproven rehab. And James, Good science fiction requires a science background? First it wasn't that good and he has NO science background havening been asked to leave collage due to bad grades.

James, I just read your post again. Those are some pretty big claims about Hubbard. Is there a Navy site that will back up the one about the Navy using Hubbard's articles? Are there ANY independent sources that will back up anything you wrote about Hubbard? Or did you get all this off a scientology web site? Have you seen the dark side of Hubbard? You can at xenu.net and xenutv.com

Due to its recent failings, fraudulent claims and its abuses, Narconon Stone Hawk is the current subject at a website called www.stop-narconon.org run by Prof.David Touretzky (Carnegie Mellon Univerisity). Also, radio show host www.vincedaniels.com is currently investigating the problems at Stone Hawk and has been running a series on his saturday morning shows(PST). This started when Greg Behar's son, Tory, was kicked out of the program and dumped at a motel with about $10 in his pocket. Eventually Greg got a settlement but only after many many months of bad publicity. However, many more are now speaking out and they will not be bought off. There is breaking news that one relative of a narconon student is about to sue Per Wickstrom of Narconon Stone Hawk for "unjust enrichment" after another case just like Greg Behar's. Narconon needs to be stopped and investigated by the authorities.

The fact that L Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer does not marginalize him. However, the numerous court cases, FBI files, and Naval records do a pretty good job of marginalizing him. In my opinion, his science fiction writing WAS his greatest accomplishment, and one does not need a solid knowledge of science to write science fiction. A good science fiction writer needs to be able to do two things: make stuff up, and make it sound believable. (hmmmm, I wonder if that carries over into other areas of Hubbard's autobiographical past?) Narconon itself has a checkered past, with staunch detractors and zealous supporters. Some argue that its methods may be harmful to a recovering addicts life (long periods in a sauna, excessively high doses of niacin and other vitamins). Others disagree with their pseudo-scientific view on drugs, which is not held by the majority of the medical community (this was the reason the narconon program was booted out of the Boston and California school systems). Still others dislike narconon because they boast of a fantastical success rate (better than any other rehab program), yet they allow no outside peer review of their program. I’m fine with people choosing whatever program they feel is right for them. However, narconon is not very upfront about their “views� with those seeking treatment. As far as Stone Hawk goes, I hope Manistee has plenty of motel rooms available. Per and Kate have stated themselves that if they have a problem with a “student,� he/she will be released from the program, which in the past has meant they will be dropped off at a local motel with $10 in cash. Of course those are the lucky ones. Some in the Battlecreek/Kalamazoo area have ended up at homeless shelters. If someone is paying a non-refundable $23,000+, you wouldn’t you at least expect a bus ticket home? I know the residents of Manistee are hopeful for the job potential in their town, much like the rest of Michigan. But maybe the residents should talk to their neighbors to the north in Leelanau County to see how the Wickstroms have benefited their community.

Here are two interesting factoids that have come to light about Narconon Stonehawke recently: 1) Kate Wickstrom's brother provided alcohol to a Stonehawke patient for sexual favors. 2) Students are forced to do a drill where they "bull bait" each other. This led to one student sticking his finger in his pants and then putting said finger under another student's nose. 45 - 80 new jobs in your community isn't worth having a front group for an international crime syndicate disguised as a religion coming into your town.

For near 40 years I've heard and read the vocal few shouting "beware" in an attempt to dissuade others from making a decision based upon first-hand experience. The result of the naysayers? Scientology continues to flourish. Decide for yourself if it can provide somethng of use in your own life. Learn some of the "how-to" skills in the privacy of your own home.

To: Marie Cribari - Ludington Some misunderstand Scientology to be a belief-based system. I think this stems from the word "church" which pre-dates Christianity. So people tend to equate Scientology with the structure of their own religious organizations. There's no prayer or bible in Scientology. That is left to the person's individual faith. Scientology is knowledge. One studies it, uses it and see if it is effective through personal experience. Just because a person studies a method developed by Hubbard does not mean he agrees with the religious philosophy. Basically it is that a person is an immortal spiritual being (who lives more than one lifetime) and the body is a just a vessel. Hubbard's R&D spanned a very large sphere, including Ethics & Justice, Data and Logic Evaluation, Management and Administration, etc. The Narconon program is licensed to use Hubbard's program. It is a secular program, non-religious. Sauna, vitamins, exercise, courses in communication, ethics, relationships, etc. www.Narconon.org Other secular (non-religious) programs based on Hubbard's R&D include: The criminal rehabilitation program used worldwide in more than 2,000 prisons. www.Criminon.org Hubbard Colleges of Administration (located in several cities in the world). These teach his breakthroughs in management & administration. www.HubbardCollege.org Applied Scholastics teaches Hubbard's education methods. www.AppliedScholastics.org None include the religious philosophy of Scientology. www.ABLE.org Incidentally, Hubbard's The Way to Happiness has proven very effective in reducing crime. In fact, Mayor Dorn (Inglewood CA) a non-Scientologist, sent letters to 400 mayors throughout the US recommending the program based upon this non-religious, non-political guide to happier living. www.TWTH.org Finally, I invite readers to see the Public Service Annoucnements that received a standing ovation in the United Nations: www.YouthForHumanRights.org [Note: I know that internet addresses are not case sensitive. I capitalize words to make it easier to read them.]

Scientology is a dangerous cult of greed and power. The Wickstrom's run a scam. Just do a google search on how they treated Greg Beha. After a few days they took his son to a motel a few miles away from Narconon and left him in a hotel with $10, then the Wickstroms refused to refund the money that Greg Beha spent on treatment for his teenage son. This is not a thriving cult as this clowns want you to believe. Scientology is slowing disappearing, just visit your cities local church any night of the week and you'll see what I mean.

"My recommendation about detoxification is to keep away from it. You don't need it. I'm not sure it does what this book describes. It's dangerous. I don't think L. Ron Hubbard has credibility in the scientific world. The author's suggestions about detoxification can be detrimental to your health. " - C. Everett Koop, M.D. (Former US Surgeon General) I think I'll allign myself more with Dr. Koop on this one. As for the State of Michigan, a narconon program was established within the Ionia State Prison in 1977. After 3 years and $120,000 (approximately 300,000 in todays $)in state funding, John Hand of the Michigan Corrections Dept called Narconon "so misleading as to be termed a con." Hand says, "They are phony, a front for the Church of Scientology. We found out in Michigan that most of the money that we were paying Narconon was laundered back into the Church of Scientology." In the wake of the revelations, a 1980 prison study concludes that "graduates of the Narconon program do not do as well as our [prison] population in general." Funding for the program is terminated.

Narconon Stone Hawk is currently being sued for fraud and deceptive trade practices. The lawsuit was filed in January 2007, and a copy of the complaint is available at Stop-Narconon.org.

I recently pulled my son out of the Stonehawk Narconon Program (Feb 2007) for numerous reasons including fear for his physical safety. We have filed an extensive formal complaint with the Michigan Licensing authorities for substance abuse facilities. The Michigan Personnel suggested that a rule of thumb is to stick with facilities close to my own geography. One of my son's complaints included never being allowed to attend a Christian church service while at Stonehawk. Once they got into the van but were taken to Starbucks because a train blocked the path to church. The owner Per Wickstrom on 2-16-07 asked that my son sign a release promising not to disparage Stonehawk, if such release would be signed then they will more favorably settle the finances. If this facility was reputable they would not push for such a document/promise from my son. The facility still holds my son's personal money and medical account money despite the law requiring it be returned within 24 hours of discharge. Folks in Michigan, please take note of the numerous complaints and concerns about this program and it's impending expansion in your state.

This is very fine article. It is very useful for me and friends as we are also searching for drug rehab programs for treatment. It is a valuable resource for all people and I have found a good rehab center following guidelines of this article. http://www.drugrehabscenters.com/

It is good as the aim of the center is to serve the Addicts voluntarily, in this way there would be an enlightenment to make public aware of the bad influence of Drugs and Alcohol Abuses. http://www.edrugrehabs.com/